It looks simple, like what computers experience when they practice zazen. And it is, my brothers and sisters, it is very simple. Therein lies the beauty of Avoid! (The Game) (I bet that exclamation point was jarring), a compilation of short vignettes by Alex Miller that plays off the theme of avoidance.

You control a dot with the mouse or keyboard, depending on the particular exercise, and try to avoid the solid objects. A blue bar in the lower left corner of the screen represents your progress. When it fills up, you can proceed to the next exercise. Along the rest of bottom of the screen is a red bar that fills when you are intersecting with solid objects. You want to keep the red bar from filling while the blue bar fills, and thats the whole show.

Analysis: As the game states in its early text, avoidance is a basic, almost primal motif for gameplay. It relates to ancient wiring in our reptilian brain stems, fight or flight, escape and survive. Sure, our ancestors weren't running from grey squares and circles moving in a variety of patterns, but the cognitive principle is the same. What results is a game that is as pared-down as a game can be that still holds our attention. As Avoid! accelerates into later levels it starts to grip your attention and you get sucked into the trance of keeping your dot alive. There's also a game design lesson in this: avoidance is a dynamic goal that shows up all over the history of games, though it usually isn't the only mechanic. I suspect Avoid! could serve some illustrative purpose in a game design curriculum, as well as being a relaxing way to pass the time.

Are you motivated by gratuitous exclamations! If so, this is a game you shouldn't avoid!

Jay - Although Alex's game doesn't offer much in the way of innovations to avoidance games in general, what I was most impressed with was his presentation. From the initial creative approach to a loading screen and the minimalist style of graphics, to the nicely designed practice system and help screens, this game offers a solid production experience even if it offers gameplay that we may have experienced before. Too often we see Flash game developers create a compelling concept that doesn't quite meet its potential due to haste in what I like to call 'packaging'. It's these finer details of a release that can improve the overall impression and perception of quality in a game, and can even make the overall game play experience more enjoyable. When it comes to creating excellence in games, the importance of presentation should not be underestimated. Aspiring Flash game developers could do well by taking a cue or two from Alex Miller.

How in the world did this get on JayIsGames? To start with, the game is ridiculously easy. I got to level 15 with less than a third of my life gone. It is also very tedious. You see the same five levels thrown at you over and over again, with the only variation being slightly faster obstacles and longer times in which you have to survive. Yes, in an effort to increase variety, you have to sit and do the same thing for an even LONGER amount of time. Finally, avoidance games are VERY old hat, and have been done much better than this. I would like to point anyone interested in playing a better game to Squares 2, which was reviewed on this site about three and a half years ago.

Beautifully implemented. I didn't mind that it was easy...the art and music set a very relaxing tone, and it would have been a shame to ruin that with frustrating gameplay. Cutting it down in length might make for a more enjoyable experience though, given the lack of challenge even at high levels. There's only a set amount of time I can enjoy mindless maneuvering before I get bored, no matter how soothing the action is at first.

This is a slowed down version of a British Air Force pilot's computer testing programmes. On the simulator if you can survive for longer than 18 seconds you have the basic escape/evade reactions of a fighter pilot. It's very hardcore compared to this version. Still, this was fun.

I also think the game isn't quite on par with Jay is games standards. It's unremarkable in every aspect, and altogether feels like something a semi-skilled Flash designer could whip up on his coffee break. It does not offer anything new or inventive. What's probably the worst, it's ridicilously devoid of any challenge at all - I've reached level 17 without even realizing you aren't killed immediately but even have a health bar...

Maybe the difficulty doesn't increase at a high enough rate from level to level, but I think if you play farther you'll find it pretty hard. In the 20's it is significantly difficult.

But I designed the game so that I'd have fun playing it, and I have to admit that I'm not that skilled of a game player. In other words, it IS an easy game, and that's what I was going for. Something your little brother could play. :)

@baba44713

Same response to you, baba. I realize it's an easy game. But for people like my dad, or little brother, level 17 is actually hard to get to.

"...[it] feels like something a semi-skilled Flash designer could whip up on his coffee break."

Unfortunately I'm not even a semi-skilled Flash designer, haha. This is the first flash project I've ever done, so I hope you'll cut me some slack. :P

Thanks a lot for the criticism. My next game will be more innovative, I promise. :)

Its a good game, very well made and enjoyable even more because its not too hard. Maybe for people complaining about easiness there could be added Hardcore mode (1/10-th of hp with faster enemies). While I did like the different levels it could of course have even more different stages. How about more shapes (triangles, hexes, etc) or enemies that move in different ways (explode, change directions). Making everything simply faster is not always best way to keep it interesting.

Before playing it I thought mouse+keys combination will never work. Normally I hate games requiring switch between mouse and keboard, it was actually working really well and did make nice change.

In some levels clicking the start button caused losing hp the moment level started, makes me thing that putting the start button in the center of stage would be good idea. Or add slight delay between pressing start and level starting.

I would surely try to fix the press-hold-move mouse outside-cheat that is affecting most mouse-controlled levels. And hide right click which can mess up whole game.

Don't be sorry for the criticism! It really is greatly appreciated. It'll definitely effect my next game effort.

@tonypa

It's cool to have a comment from you, your tile based game tutorial was one of the first lessons I had in flash. Thanks a lot for all the tips, I'll fix the bugs you mentioned ASAP, as well as the cheat on "expansion action".

Well, the game is good - for about the first 5-6 rounds. After that it keeps getting more and ore boring. I dunno if new types of minigames come after a time, but when I had to do the same thing for like the 10th time I said it was enough.

I think the creator of this game should have been patient enough to get more good minigame ideas to pack in this before releasing this game. What's in this now is very good - but, sadly, also very little.

I liked this, but then, avoidance type games are my thing. The music, in particular, and the simplicity, and yes, the gentle learning curve - I hate games that start punishing you for not having reflexes at level three or so - all really worked for me.

I have to say, some of the levels seemed more forgiving than others. Several times on that "stay within the bubble" thing I could *see* that I was in the grey, but no damage was happening. On the other hand, on the falling squares levels there were times when I could've sworn that I hadn't actually touched a box, and yet the red bar was definitely filling up. Is this just my perception, or have other people noticed this?

@Cat - On the "stay in the bubble" level, you have to be completely out of the bubble to take hits. Maybe that wasn't the best way to implement it... but otherwise it was hard to pass those levels. Regarding the falling square issue you mentioned, that shouldn't be happening. Maybe you've found a bug, but I haven't yet seen that yet.

I don't think I was entirely clear there, sorry. I didn't mean that I was randomly being given damage, it was more some near-misses that I could've sworn actually *were* misses wound up in me taking damage, if you see what I mean? My eyesight isn't the best, to be fair, so it might just be me, lol.

Y'know, I actually really liked this game. Would I play it over and over? No, mainly because the individual levels aren't quite entertaining enough to warrant replay. It's certainly worth a singly playthrough, though. And for those complaining that the game's too easy, keep at it a little longer...the difficulty begins to increase exponentially around level 20.

yeah i found this game enjoyable as well as a short distraction. died on lvl 26 too. i feel like the jump up in difficulty level on 26 might be a little extreme, especially considering how long the level is. i think i lost more than half my life on that one level.

Great game concept. Would have really been nice to see this game taken a couple more steps forward vs. just making the same 5 concepts repeat over and over again. I realise this game already took an enormous amount of effort to make but it's just so close to being an amazing game. One of the downfalls is no play back value cause im not spending 20 minutes each time to get through levels 1-20. It's a zzz fest.

also on Jayisgames

>
chrpa—
It's Retro Weekday Escape time and four atmospheric and magic games are waiting for you! We start in enchanting and tidy room by 10 Color Dots, full of lavender smell. After we leave it, Kiterescu takes us first to the...
...

>
chrpa—
The new game from Bart Bonte is sharp yellow and black. The first-signal system activates! Wasps! Hornets! Caution Bio-Hazard! Caution Wet Floor! Slow Down! The last one is correct, no need to hurry anywhere, we've got awesome relaxing game with...
...

>
chrpa—
Huzzah! Tesshi-e is back with another excellent game! First, don't panic after you notice the intro screen you've seen before. Yes, it's from The Escape Hotel 3: Remake released last summer. Tesshi-e just revisited his favourite hotel, lost his way...
...

>
chrpa—
Hi! The new Weekday Escape is here bringing three fantastic games! Lutaru gives us a box for playing, with a small button here and a tiny hole there and waits until we figure out what to do with it. After...
...

JayIsGames offers a free online experience with the best free online games. You can read our daily honest reviews and walkthroughs, play games, discuss about them. JayIsGames.com is a leading Flash and Online game review site. Since 2003, we review every day only the best, including casual games, flash games, arcade games, indie games, download games, shooting games, escape games, RPG games, puzzle games, mobile games and much more.
Submit a Game: Don't just read reviews or play games on JayIsGames.com, submit them! Submit your game now and we might release it in homepage. Use our game submission form.
Check us back often! We add new games every day and only the best games!